Death Cab for Cutie is kicking off a milestone 2023 with a just-underway winter North American tour and the announcement that it has recorded a complete acoustic version of its 2022 album, Asphalt Meadows. The new edition will be released March 10 and includes a bonus cover of “The Plan” by longtime DCfC influence Low, whose drummer Mimi Parker died of cancer last November.
“At first, there was an idea of doing an acoustic version of ‘Pepper,’ which was going to be the next single from Asphalt Meadows”…
…DCfC bassist Nick Harmer tells SPIN of the acoustic recording sessions, which were completed over four busy days in December with co-producer Andy Park. “But then we thought, well, if we’re in there, we might as well see if we can do some other versions. We really love Asphalt Meadows, and we were really happy with the songwriting that’s at the core of every track. For us, we were wondering how all of those songs would sound presented slightly differently. Then we said, maybe we’ll just do an EP. As we got into the process, one thing led to the next, and before we knew it, we had re-recorded every song. It was a lot of work, but having that short window forced us to make quick decisions and stick by our choices without a lot of second-guessing.”
With no planning having gone into the new arrangements in advance, band members were free to exchange ideas in the studio in real time. Many involved how to translate some of the more bombastic moments of Asphalt Meadows, which spawned DCfC’s biggest radio single in many years, “Here to Forever,” a No. 1 hit on both Billboard‘s Alternative and Adult Alternative Airplay charts. “At the end of ‘Foxglove Through the Clearcut,’ we really loved the build to this big explosion and catharsis that happens there,” Harmer says. “We wondered, how will this really hold together without that payoff? It forced us to think about a different kind of catharsis or a softer landing. We didn’t know it was going to work until we tried it. We realized there was a good song at the core of it that could be presented in different ways and still hold that emotional gravity.” SPIN
1. I Don’t Know How I Survive (3:37)
2. Roman Candles (2:14)
3. Asphalt Meadows (4:09)
4. Rand McNally (4:05)
5. Here to Forever (3:47)
6. Foxglove Through The Clearcut (5:06)
7. Pepper (2:53)
8. I Miss Strangers (2:47)
9. Wheat Like Waves (3:40)
10. Fragments From the Decade (3:34)
11. I’ll Never Give Up On You (2:01)
12. The Plan (3:34)
VINYL Edition:
Death Cab For Cutie tour dates 2023:
03-09 Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle
03-10 Tilburg, Netherlands – 013
03-11 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
03-12 Cologne, Germany – E-Werk
03-14 Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma
03-15 Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Atelier
03-16 Paris, France – Salle Pleyel
03-18 Nottingham, England – Rock City
03-19 Dublin, Ireland – Bord Gais Energy Theatre
03-21 Birmingham, England – 02 Institute
03-22 Edinburgh, Scotland – Usher Hall
03-23 Glasgow, Scotland – Barrowland
03-25 Manchester, England – O2 Apollo
03-27 Brighton, England – Dome
03-29 London, England – Royal Albert Hall